Letter 7023: Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop, and Anthemius, guardian (defensori). Catellus, the bearer of these presents, has informed us that his sister, who had been betrothed to one Stephen, has, through divine mercy moving her, been converted in a monastery at Naples, and that the same Stephen improperly detains a house and some other things belonging to...

Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop, and Anthemius, guardian. Catellus, the bearer of this letter, has informed us that his sister, who had been engaged to a man named Stephen, has by divine mercy entered a convent in Naples. Stephen, however, is improperly holding onto a house and other property belonging to her. Since the law provides that a betrothed woman who chooses to enter religious life shall suffer no loss of property whatsoever, I ask your Brotherhood, together with the subdeacon Anthemius, to investigate the matter thoroughly. If you find, as we have been told, that Stephen is unjustly keeping her house or anything else, warn him firmly to restore it without delay or argument. He has no right to defer the return of what is not his under any excuse. If you find that he ignores your warning, report the matter to us with a full account of the facts, so that when the merits of the case are clear, he can be compelled by other means to make the restitution he refuses to make voluntarily out of basic honesty. I commend the bearer to your care and urge you not to let him suffer further delay in this matter.

Book VII, Letter 23 To Fortunatus and Anthemius. Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop, and Anthemius, guardian (defensori). Catellus, the bearer of these presents, has informed us that his sister, who had been betrothed to one Stephen, has, through divine mercy moving her, been converted in a monastery at Naples, and that the same Stephen improperly detains a house and some other things belonging to her. And, inasmuch as legal decrees (Caus. 17, q. 2, c. 28) have appointed that a betrothed woman, should she wish to be converted, shall suffer no loss whatever, let your Fraternity, together with Anthemius the subdeacon, endeavour by diligent enquiry to investigate the truth. And if, as we have been informed, you find that the Stephen above-named is keeping a house or anything else unjustly, let him be urgently warned by your exhortation to restore without any delay or altercation what he unduly detains, and not to defer under any kind of excuse the restitution of what is not his own. And if perchance you find him neglect your exhortation, notify this to us, giving also an accurate account of the facts of the case, to the end that, when the merits of the case are known, he may be forced by other means, in accordance with equity, to make the restitution which he scorns to make of his own accord out of regard to honesty. Commending the bearer of these presents to your Fraternity, we exhort you to allow him no longer to suffer from delay on this account.